Monday, June 18, 2018

Founders Double Trouble

I remember going into Local Option bar in Chicago in, oh 2012 or 2013 and seeing Bell's Hopslam, Three Floyds Dreadnaught, and Founders Double Trouble on tap. At the time, it couldn't get any better than that as far as DIPAs for me. And Double Trouble surprisingly tasted the best out of the three. So when Founders decided to take Double Trouble out of their release schedule, I was bugged. Up until recently, double trouble for Founders was the amount of CBS (who else stocked up on that "whale"?) and KBS sitting on the shelves and floors of liquor stores. Other Half has a beer called Stacks on Stacks; that name goes for KBS four-packs as well.

Founders seems to have come to their senses, as far as Double Trouble DIPA goes. While they are making a push with All Day IPA and Solid Gold Lager, Double Trouble is back for a short time. The $11.99 are priced within reason for this 9.4% ABV beer. Though bottles just arrived this past week, they were bottled on 5/17. It's a tough game to play when local breweries are offering fresh DIPAs daily...or are they? Who has a DIPA on tap right now? Not Bosque. Not La Cumbre. Not Marble (downtown, at least). So maybe Double Trouble is worth your time. Single bottles are available at Jubilation right now.

Sunday, June 3, 2018

Beer Week- Final Round

Psst. Hey buddy...you awake? C'mon, you got one more day in you, right? There's only a few things going on today. You can go back to sleep after that, I promise.

Hotel Chaco hosts a brunch at Level 5 with a Marble Tap Takeover. Four taps. Brunch stuff. Nice views. Wind may knock you off the roof today, but you've had a good run. Brunch till 2.

"Le Cask Lunatique", a day of cask beer and live performance by Le Chat Lunatique. Another great Beer Week idea, and a fine way to end what has been another fun celebration of our favorite pastime. Look at this lineup:
Cider with Cascade Hops and raw sugar.
Cider with maple syrup and cinnamon sticks.
The Village Wit with pure honey and grapefruit.
Kettle Run - A Solo-Hop Sour with agave and the juice & zest of 12 limes.
Sparkfitter Amber with molasses and ginger.
Brickie American Stout with raspberry purée.

Saturday, June 2, 2018

ABQ Beer Week Saturday, June 3rd

Quarter Celtic and Palmer Brewery have collaborated to make Lawn Ninja, a summer ale made with rice. Palmer Brewery is the ninja brewery of Albuquerque, as I never even know that they're there. Should be an interesting beer to try- not many rice beers out there, unless you count all the Japanese ones. And Great Divide Samurai. And every Budweiser and Bud Light.

A Mini Lager Fest? Ok. What would once have been a ghost town of a fest might actually be a hit, especially as "near-record" highs are forecasted for today. Ponderosa has gathered the best lagers from 8 breweries around the city and brought them together for you. $15 gets you your fill of beer as well as live music. Event goes from 12-4.

Canteen is (I hope) proud to bring you Zafado Groove, a passionfruit Belgian Ale aged in chardonnay barrels with brett. Also, Crafts, Crops, and Hops: an evening beer market happens there today from 5-8. Farmers markets should happen later more often. Just because I sleep till noon doesn't mean I shouldn't be able to get fresh local produce. You can keep the necklaces and Life is Good inspired t-shirts.

Want to re-live those high school days? You can guess my answer. But Tractor Wells Park is hosting 90s Beer Prom: Under the Sea at 8. $50 for couples or (God forbid) $25 for a single. Best dressed are crowned prom King and Queen. Worst dressed gets treated like Carrie at prom.

Friday, June 1, 2018

ABQ Beer Week Friday, June 1

Feeling sour this Friday? You should feel sour if you went to the Battle Of the Beer Geeks at Tractor. No carbonation in any of the beers and they still charged the full $10? It was a rip-off to us as customers and a disservice to the people who entered the competition. I voted for 5, though number 1 won it. I could see either winning. But where was I? Oh yes, feeling sour? Jubilation ups the acid indigestion with a full panel of sour beers from Rowley, Steel Bender, Cascade, and others. It's free!

Firestone Walker has a whole fancy line of beers in their Barrelworks program. Prepare to be wowed by a tap takeover featuring some of these beers at Nob Hill Bar and Grill. Krieky Bones, Agrestic, Bretta Weisse and more. Dance party follows soon after.

A special "beer edition" of the First Fridays Comedy Contest at Tractor Wells Park happens tonight. What does that mean? Craft beer jokes? I tried to tell a joke at Battle of the Beer Geeks but it fell flat.